From the WashingtonMonthly:
Gallup reported this week on the states with the highest and lowest rates of church attendance. The results fell largely along regional lines: "Mississippians were the most frequent churchgoers in the nation in 2009, as was the case in 2008, with 63% of residents attending weekly or almost every week. Nine of the top 10 states in church attendance are in the South; the only non-Southern state is Utah, with 56% frequent attendance. At the other end of the spectrum, 23% of Vermont residents attend church frequently, putting it at the bottom of the list of churchgoing states. Other states at the bottom of the church attendance list are in either New England or the West."
Check out the charts at the Gallup link.
It's very curious that from the Rockies westward there appears to be little religious observance apart from Utah.
ReplyDeleteBut then, as Karl Barth observed, faith and piety are never synonymous.
I'm somewhat surprised that the mountain folks are not more observant. On the other hand, a good many of them are gun-toting libertarian types, so maybe it's not so surprising.
ReplyDeleteIn the West we tend to be a tad independent, something most churches (including a large portion of TEC) do not encourage. I speak as a Californian now living too close to Texas.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet if you were to compare the entire North American continent to Europe, we would come off looking pretty pious.
ReplyDeletePaul, at least you don't tote a gun. Or do you?
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, you're right, but we're moving in the direction of Europe. If the trends in the US continue, the great majority of observant Christians will be fundamentalist and/or pentecostal.
Vermont. Just my sort of place!
ReplyDeleteAs a Southerner, it concerns me that we have the highest church attendance, but that also seems to translate into the highest amount of intolerance and out-right bigotry.
ReplyDeleteToo true, BooCat. The Gospel often doesn't make the cut in Scripture passages useful for Bible-thumping purposes.
ReplyDeleteI never cease to be surprised at the degree of biblical illiteracy among biblical literalists here in the South.
ReplyDeleteThe best way I can describe it is this: if you think of all the quotes attributed to famous people and taken as absolutely representative of those people which we now know they didn't say (e.g. - "Judy! Judy! Judy!" for Cary Grant), that's the biblical literalist's approach to scripture. They hear Mama or Preacher or Daddy say something and that's what the BYE-buhl says.
Example: The same Baptists desperately trying to get rich point at poor people asking for money and say, "Money is the root of all evil." If you say, "Actually, the quote is concerning the love of money, not money itself" they tell you "That's not what the BIBLE says."
Mark, if you always have your Bible handy, then you can show them what what the Bible says. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure they can read. :D
ReplyDelete